Steering mechanism for vehicles.



TATENTED MAR. 31,1903.

A. A. BALL, J3. STEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLIUATIOfi FILED JAN. 24' 1902.

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'No.723,975. PATENTED-MAR.31,1903;

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STEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHIGLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1902.'

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No. 723,975. PATENTED MAR. '31, 1 903.

A. BALL, JR- STEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1902. 7 N0 MODEL.

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AUGUSTUS A. BALL, JR, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ELlHU THOMSON,OF SYVAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS.

STDEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,975, dated March31, 1903. Application filed January 24, 1902. Serial No. 91,012. (Nomodel.)

To a whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS A. BALL, J l'.,

a citizen of the United States,residing at Lynn,

in the county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Steering Mechanisms for Vehicles, ofwhich the following is a specification.

For self-propelled vehicles the double-axle to suspension for thesteering-wheels has been universally adopted, owing chiefly to the factthat the points of support are so distributed as to reduce to a minimumthe tendency of the vehicle to upset. In order to give thesteering-wheels a certain self-steering tendency, the pivots for theshort axles have been inclined backward slightlyin a manner similar tothe forks and head of abicycle. They have also been given a slightlateral inclination for the same reason. Such constructions presentcertain disadvantages. When the wheels are deflected from the straightpath of travel, they move the vehicle-body as a whole laterally. Theyalso raise the vehiclebody more or less, depending upon the inclinationof the pivots. A further objection is due to the sliding action to whichthe tires are subjected when moved about the pivots.

The latter action is due chiefly to the pivots 0 being separated by aless distance than the contact-points of the steering-wheels. The

actions above. referred to are plainly noticeable when the vehicle isstanding idle and the steering-wheelsare deflected by the steer- 5ing-handle. The raising of the vehicle-body during the act of steeringmeans that an unnecessary efiort is required to steer the ve hicle,while the lateral movement causes a. swaying of the vehicle, which isdangerous,

particularly at high speeds, and many seri ous accidents have beenlargely due to this cause.-- I have discovered that these objec-.

tionable features may be overcome by giving the pivots for the shortaxles certain angular.-

5 inclinations and locating them back of a plane passing through saidaxles, and this without sacrificing any of the advantages of theinclined-pivot arrangement. I

My invention further has for its object to provide means for preventingthe transmis- 1nection shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

lpivotally securedto the rear axle 4. I Rigidly secured to the rear axleis a triangular frame l or back, thereby compensating for changes inposition of the steering mechanism, as willapsion of strains due to roadthrusts to the hand of the operator.

The scope of my invention will bemore fully set forth in the descriptionand in the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which represent an embodiment of myinvention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle. Fig. 2 is a planview of the vehicle-frame. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the vehicle.Fig. at is sectional view, partially in plan, of the steering-check.Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the connection employed to connect thesteeringrods with the short axles. Fig. 6 is a crosssection of theconnector shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of thescrew-threaded sleeve or nut employed to actuate the steering-wheels.Fig. 8 is across-section of the sleeve or nut shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 isa perspective view illustrating a slight modification in theconstruction of the sleeve or nut. Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of thecon- Fig. 11 is a cross-section of the joint between the screw and thesteering-lever, and Figs. 12 and 13 are diagrammatic views illustratingthe path of movement of the steering-wheels.

In the drawings,.1 represents the vehiclebod'y, which is supported fromthe front axle by an elliptical spring extending parallel with theaxleand at the rear end by two elliptic :springs extending at right anglestothe rear axle.

To the front axle 2 is rigidly secured a U-shaped frame 3, Fig. 2, thelatter being 5, the latter being secured to the vehicle-body through themedium of the ball-and-socket jointfi. ferential gearing, which ismounted in the casing 7,.the gearing being driven by the en- The'rearaxle is provided with difgine 8. The frame is so constructed that-whenthe body rises and falls under the action of the springs it is caused tomove slightly forward pear hereinafter.

Mounted on the ends of the front axle or support 2 are yokes 9, in whichthe short axles 10 are pivotally secured by the spindles 11.

ICO

The short axles are made in the form of hellcrank levers, and theopening in each lever for receiving the spindle is placed back of aplane passing through the centers of the short axles. Sucha plane isindicated by the broken and dotted line 12, Fig. 2. The pivots orspindles are inclined backward, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 1, andare also inclined laterally, as is indicated in Fig. The pivots areinclined backward by such an amount that a line passing down through thecenter of the spindle will strike the ground in line with the points ofwheel contact. In other words, each spindle 11 is set back of the planerepresented by the broken and dotted line 12 and inclined by an amountwhich will permit the center line of each spindle when extended tostrike the ground at a point in close proximity to that of the wheelcontact. To put the matter in a still different way, the spindle isplaced back of the wheel-contact point by an amount equal to the sine ofthe angle of inclination of the pivot. Each wheel in moving around underthe action of the steering lever or mechanism describes as its path thefrustum of an inverted cone, the axis of which is inclined backward andalso laterally.

In Figs. 12 and 13 I have shown diagrammatically the path that eachWheel travels when swung around its spindle 11 as a center. The line 1314 represents the side of a cone and is at right angles to the baseplane. This also represents the plane or position of the wheel as viewedfrom the front. Assuming that the wheel is now moved to the dottedlineposition 15, (indicated in Figs. 2 and 3,) the position of the wheel isstill vertical, because the side of the cone represented by the line 1617 is at right angles to the base or ground. On the other hand, thesecond steering wheel has assumed a somewhat rearwardly-inclinedposition, because it is traveling in the path of an inverted cone, theside of which at that particular point is inclined to the base or groundplane. In other words,

during a portion of the steering movement of each wheel it is maintainedin a vertical plane, owing to the relation of the pivots, while duringthe remainder of the movement it is inclined for the same reason.

The arrangement of the pivots is such that the vehicle-body is notraised during the act of steering, neither is it shifted laterally. Thewheels in turning around on the pivots 11 are so set that they willroll, and there is no tendency of the wheels to slide or grindon theground, which is so detrimental to tires. Such an arrangement also makesit easier for the operator, owing to the decreased effort required toturn the wheels.

With twenty-eight-inch steering'wheels the spindles 11 can withadvantage be inclined about eight or nine degrees, the backward andlateral inclination being preferably equal. With larger wheels theangles made by the pivots may be somewhat less. The parts are alsopreferably so arranged that the project ed centers will not meet underthe wheelsin other words, at the wheel contacts-for such an arrangementwill cause the wheels to spin instead of roll during the act ofsteering.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the wheel which turns underthe vehicle-body in the act of steering is turned in such a manner thatit acts as a brace against thrusts or strains in the direction oftravel. This is important, in that it reduces the tendency of the wheelto buckle when turned suddenly. The wheel that turns under the body isarranged to make a greaterangle than the outer an elongated nut orsleeve having spiral grooves or threads cut therein similar to arifle-barrel, which is pivotally supported on the stationary axle and isconnected to the steering-wheels, the other of said parts comprising athreaded bar or rod which is pivotally connected to the steering-handleand is fitted into the sleeve or nut in such manner that a longitudinalmovement of the bar will cause a rotary movement of the sleeve or nut,and hence cause the wheels to be deflected. In other words, I haveprovided a device for transforming the rectilinear movement of the rodinto a rotary movement for the purpose of moving the steering-wheels.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 4, 20 represents the threaded orgrooved sleeve,which is provided with a ball 21, that enters the socket 22 and isconfined therein by a nut 23. The socket is rigidly mounted on thefront. axle in any suitable manner. Formed on or otherwise rigidlysecured to the sleeve 20 is a pair of arms or forks 24, each of which isprovided at its end with a ball 25 for making connection with thesteering rods or tubes 26. The interior of the actuating-sleeve 20 isprovided with spiral grooves or threads 27, the angle of incline ofwhich is less than the angle of friction, the latter being from fifteento twenty degrees, depending upon the kind of metal. The threads in thesleeve need not extend the whole length thereof, as this would entailconsiderable expense, but may be limited in'length, as'shown in Fig. at.The sleeve should be long enough to cover the corresponding threads 28on the rod 29 at all times, so as to protect them from foreignsubstances. As shown, the part 29 forms the male member, while the part20 forms the female member; but it is obvious that the arrangement maybereversed and the ICC part made the male member and part 29 the femalemember. On the end of the rod 29 is formed a fork 30, Figs. 4 and 11,which is arranged to receive the lever 31, carried by the steering-shaft32. The lever 31 is provided on its end with a cylindrical extension toreceive the block 33, the latter being retained on the lever by a nutand in the fork 30 by a vertically-extending bolt 34. The

cylindrical extension of the lever 31 is cut away, as shown in Fig.l1,to permit the nut and rod 29 to rise and fall slightly under theactions of the vehicle. The lever 31 is shown as being placed on theright-hand side of the steering-shaft 32; but it can be placed on theother side, if desired.

The steering'shaft 32is supported entirely by the vehicle-body, andtherefore moves 11p and down with it under the action of the springs.Pivotally secured to the upper end of the shaft is a handle 35, havingan ofiset therein, so as to give plenty of room for the operator. If thevehicle-body moved up and down under the action of the springsuninfiuenced by the frame, there would be a slight movement of the rod29 into and out of the sleeve or nut 20, resulting in limiteddeflections of the steering-wheels, depending upon the magnitude of saidmovement. This action is compensated for by means of the frame 5, whichis rigidly secured-to the rear axle and pivotally secured to thevehicle-body. When the body rises, it is moved backward slightly withrespect to the axles, and when ,it is depressed it moves forward justenough to compensate for the changes in position. In considering thismatter it should be borne in mind that the frame and steering rod andnut are more nearly in a straight line when the vehicle is loaded thanwhen empty, as shown. i

In Figs. 7 and 8 the sleeve is formed with integral threads. In Fig. 9 Ihave showna slight modification, whereby the nut can be cheaply andquickly made. A perforated sleeve 36 is provided, and within said sleeveis a body of Babbitt metal 37, which is retained in place by theprojections 38, that enter the perforations in the tube. In forming thissleeve the tube is placed in a suitable holding device, the threaded rod29 or its equivalent mounted centrally therein, and the hot Babbittmetal is poured between them.

Referring now to the construction of the rods or tubes for. connectingthe actuating sleeve or nut with the short steering-axles, 26 representsthe connecting-tube, which is threaded on both ends, both threads beingcut in the same direction-that is to say, both right or both lefthand'so that if one cap which is mounted thereon tends to work 0d theother is correspondingly tightened, thus compensating for itand'maintaining a fixed distance between" centers. Mounted in the end ofthe tube is a hard-steel thimble 39, having an enlarged head, the latterresting against the end of the tube. The thimble is straight-sided andmakes a working fit with i the tube and is provided with a slight cavityor depression to receive the ball 25 on the arm 24 or the ball on theend of the short axle. Screw-threaded to the outside of the tube is acap 40, having a hardened inner surface which engages with the ball.This cap is provided with an opening 41, made like a buttonhole, oneportion of which is large enough to receive the ball, while the otherportion is of such size as will permit the same to have a certainfreedom of motion. The cap is arranged to hold the thimble as well asthe ball in place, thus reducing the number of parts to a minimum anddecreasing the cost of manufacture. In order to mount the parts inplace, the cap is slipped over the ball 25 and the tube 26 rotated untilthe same is seated. The other cap is then mounted on the tube and givena few turns, after which the ball on the short axle is mounted in placeand the short axle and the cap rotated until the latter is seated, afterwhich the spindle 11 can be inserted in the fork 9 and the wheel mountedon the axle. The caps should be mounted on the vehicle in such mannerthat the openings 41 face downward, so as to prevent foreign particlesfrom getting into the joints. In order to oil the joints, a smalloilhole 42 is provided in each cap, and located in the ball opposite theopening is a small wick arranged to receive and hold oil.

In steering the vehicle the operator moves the handle forward or backfrom the position shown in Fig. 2, depending upon'the direction it isdesired to travel. The rod 29 being capable of longitudinal movement,but not of rotation, causes the sleeve 20 to rotate as it is moved, andthe sleeve in turn transtionary axle, steering-wheels, short axlestherefor, and pivots for the short axles which are set back of a planepassing through said axles and are inclined backward and also latorally.

2. In a vehicle, the combination of a fixed support or axle,steering-wheels, bell-crank levers forming axles for the wheels, pivotsfor securing the bell-crank axles to the support, the said pivots beingset back of a plane passing through the short axles and inclinedEbackward and laterally, whereby the wheel which is moved forward standsupright while the wheel which is moved backward is invehicle.

'clined against the direction of'motion of-the1 3. In a vehicle, thecombination' of a'sta-' tionaryaxle, a pair of bell-crank leversformingaxles for the wheels, steering-wheels, pivots for securing thebell-crank lever-axles to the stationary axle, the said pivots being'setback of a vertical plane passing through the wheel-axles and inclinedbackward and laterally, the angles of inclination being equal, wherebythe steering-wheels when actuated will roll around and not lift or shiftthe stationary axle laterally, and levers for moving the wheelssimultaneously.

4. In a vehicle, the combination of steeringlevers, a stationary axle,bell-crank leveraxles for the steering-wheels, and pivots for securingthe bell-crank lever-axles to the stationary axles, which are set backof a line passing through the centers of the axles and are alsoinclined'backward and laterally in such a manner that the wheels whenrolled around under the action of the steering-levers will describe aninverted frustum of a cone.

5. In a vehicle, the combination of a stationary axle, a grooved sleevepivot-ally secured thereto, steering-wheels, levers connecting thesleeve with the wheels, a grooved rod, and means for moving the rod in amanner to rotate the sleeve and cause a movement of the steering-wheels.

6. In a vehicle, the combination of a stationary axle, a grooved sleeve,a universal joint for securing the sleeve to the axle, steering-wheels,levers rigidly connected to the sleeve and pivotally connected to theaxles'of the steering-wheels, a grooved rod which is fitted into thesleeve, and a lever for moving the rod into and out of the sleeve in amanner to produce rotation of the latter for the purpose of moving thesteering-wheels.

7. In a vehicle, the combination of a stationary axle, a pair of shortaxles pivoted thereto and carrying the steering-wheels, a grooved sleevehaving a pair of oppositelydisposed arms rigidly secured thereto, agrooved rod fitting into the sleeve, means for imparting a longitudinalmovement to the rod for causing a partial rotation of the sleeve, rodsconnecting the arms with the short axles, and ball-joints between therods and the arms.

8. In a vehicle, the combination of a stationary axle, a pair of shortaxles mounted thereon, means for transforming the rectilinear movementof an element into a rotary motion for the purpose of steering, aspringsupported body, a steering-lever mounted on the body for actuatingsaid means, a rear axle, and a pivotal connection between the rear axleand the body whereby the movements of the body, under the action of thesprings, are prevented from affecting the action of the steering means.

9. In a steering mechanism, the combination of a stationary axle, a pairof short axles pivotally secured thereto, a steering-lever, couplingssecured thereto, and rods having similarly-cut threads at the endsthereof for uniting them with the couplings in such manner that when onecoupling loosens, the other tightens and thus preserves a fixed distancebetween them.

10. In a steering mechanism, the combination of a stationary axle, asleeve having a long spiral groove formed in the interior, a balland-socket supportfor the sleeve, a grooved rod which is fitted into thesleeve, a steering-shaft, a lever rigidly secured to the shaft andpivotally secured to the rod for imparting longitudinal movement to therod, arms which are rigidly secured to the sleeve, short steering-axles,steering-rods, and balland-socket joints for uniting the axles and armswith the steering-rods.

11. In a steering mechanism, the combination of a perforated sleeve, arod having a long spiral groove, and a body of Babbitt or like metalwhich fills the perforations in the sleeve and also forms the threads.

12. In a steering mechanism, the combination of a tube, a detachablepiece mounted therein having a ball-cavity formed in the head, a capwhich is screw-threaded to the tube and is provided with abuttonhole-opening, and a lever having a ball formed thereon, which ballcan pass through one end of the opening when the cap is partiallyremoved but is retained in place when the cap is seated.

13. In a steering mechanism, the combination of a tube having ascrew-threaded end, a detachable piece having smooth sides and anenlarged head mounted in the end of the tube, a ball which is secured toa lever, and a screw-threaded cap mounted on the tube which retains thethimble and ball in place.

14. In a steering mechanism, the combination of a fixed support, agrooved sleeve which is pivotally secured thereto at one end and is freeat the other, a grooved rod which is pivotally supported at one end in amanner to prevent rotation and enters the sleeve at the other, means formoving the rod longitudinally into and out of the sleeve for the purposeof imparting rotary movement thereto, steering-wheels, and meansconnecting the steering-wheels with the sleeve.

15. In asteering mechanism, the combination of a steering-shaft, a leverconnected thereto, a cylindrical extension on the end of the leverhaving a cut-away portion, a steering-rod having a forked end, a blockwhich is mounted in the fork and surrounds the cylindrical extension,and a bolt which passes through the block and the cut-away portion ofthe extension for securing them to the fork.

16. In a steering mechanism, the combination of a steering-rod, a leverhaving a ball secured to the end thereof, a wick placed in the ball, aconnection which unites the rod and lever, and an oil-hole formed in theconnection opposite the wick.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of January,1902.

AUGUSTUS A. BALL, JR.

Witnesses:

DUGALD McK. MCKILLOP, JOHN A. McMANUs.

